The present embodiments relate generally to the display of images. In particular, the present embodiments relate to enhancing the quality of medical images being displayed.
Conventional diagnostic and interventional procedures may involve digital subtraction techniques. The digital subtraction techniques may be performed on images acquired at different instances in time to enhance objects of interest and remove distracting information. Typical digital subtraction techniques may involve the subtraction or linear superposition of a mask image from an actual or native image to create a subtracted image. However, conventional subtracted images may be prone to have an unacceptable level of noise due to the small amount of contrast available after subtraction.
Additionally, if an object of interest, such as an interventional device or material (“IDM”), is located above a large bone structure, for example, the spine during a body angiography procedure or facial bones during a neurological angiographic procedure, additional issues may arise. In these problematic regions, the incoming X-ray spectrum is hardened and the x-ray flux strongly reduced due to significant x-ray absorption by the bone structure. As a result, the image contrast may be reduced and the image noise increased due to the hardened x-ray spectrum. Unfortunately, medical personnel, such as an interventional radiologist, may then “lose site of” or, generally speaking, hardly be able to see, if at all, the object of interest within the problematic region of the images.